A Marine Out of Time
by DarkstarPrime
Summary: When a retired USMC Raider, Lieutenant Colonel Daphne Cullen, was told that her family would be safe from a nuclear fire she was relieved. The bombs came and she and her family found shelter in Vault 111. Now 200 years later, she awakens to an unrecognizable wasteland. With extensive training, experience and a thirst for adventure will she survive the Commonwealth Wasteland?
1. Vault 111

The first thing I noticed was the cold. It felt like it was radiating out from my very bones and seeped into every fiber of my being. I couldn't really see, my vision was cloudy and everything was spinning. After a while I finally seemed to get my bearings straight. I was in some kind of metal box and I could make out a window of some sort in front of me.

I looked through the glass and saw a man slumped over in another metal box across from mine but I couldn't see his face because it was obscured by frost. I felt panic rise in my chest for some reason and I froze up as it all came back to me. The bombs, the screaming, the Vault, everything surged through my mind faster than I could comprehend. It was becoming too much and I could feel my chest about to burst from the stress when suddenly the door of the pod I was in opened up and I went tumbling out.

With a loud crackle and burst of static an intercom came on overhead._ "Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. Vault residents must vacate immediately."_

Gasping from the unexpected fall I looked around the room I found myself in and found nobody there. I directed my attention to the pod in front of me which contained my husband. With tears in my eyes I frantically tried to pry the door open. In my hysterics I couldn't think straight. "C-come on. Th-there has to b-be a release… " Eventually I calmed down enough and I found the release. I pulled the red handle down with a sob and the pod opened up for me. "Come on, come on, come on. Oh God…sniffle…please!"

Inside my son was gone and my husband was slumped over dead. Grief began to manifest and take hold of my heart. His body was covered in ice but I didn't care as I grabbed him, hugged him to my chest and cried. Just cried. I couldn't bring myself to do anything else, my husband had been killed and my son was gone.

The pain from the hole in my chest was matched only by my sudden sense of failure as I thought about my son. How I failed to protect my little boy. Soon I was able to stand up and my training kicked in. Right now I had to survive. I had to try to catch those bastards who killed my rock and taken off with my angel.

"I WILL find the ones who did this and I WILL get our baby boy back Jason. Then I'm going to MAKE THEM PAY! I promise." I said to my husband as I cradled his head bringing our foreheads together as I cried.

I kissed him one last time with tears blurring my vision before resealing the pod and turning towards the large door to my right. The lights were flickering and in some cases were broken completely. The walls and the floor looked dusty and unkempt. There were pipes and tubes all around the room that were leaking water and spouting blasts of freezing cold fog.

Passing the other pods I realized they were all full except for one, and that they were all dead. All of them were covered in ice and staring blankly at me through the windows. In some cases they appeared to be sleeping. In others they had obviously been trying desperately to get out. These were people I had known.

Rosalita and I had had morning coffee together everyday since we both arrived in Sanctuary. Mr. Jones had spent days in his garage with my husband, drinking Nuka-Cola and talking about the glory days. These were people that I had loved as much as my own flesh and blood. "Oh God. . . Why would Vault-Tec do this? They're. . . They're all dead." I said as I looked around the room more carefully, praying that I might find at least on other survivor. The only hope I found was an empty pod at the end. "I can't be the only one left. . . HELLO! ANYONE!?"

At the base of the stairs on the left I noticed a terminal on the wall. Going over to it I turned it on and as the screen burst to life I looked for anything that might help me find who did this. On it I found out that Life Support and the Cryogenic Array had failed due to isolated manual and remote overrides that had been detected. This caused the other occupants to die of asphyxiation due to life support failure. The system had failed to log the times and dates they occurred so I couldn't determine how long it had been.

Going through the door I recognized the hallway we had come down after entering the vault. For a moment I thought I could still hear the panicked voices and cries for loved ones. To the left I found another room with pods but once again everyone in the pods were dead. I left the room and turned left. Straight ahead was the door separating me from the main entrance.

It looked like it was jammed shut. Judging from the tools and repair equipment around the doorway. Figuring that it would be a waste of time to try and pry the door open I turned to the right and headed deeper into what was starting to feel like a tomb. I just hoped that there was another way out, I had seen another doorway in the main entrance on our way in. Maybe that was my way out.

I eventually I calmed down drastically and I was able to function almost normally. I eventually found myself in the security room where I found another terminal. This one outlined Vault 111 Security Instructions, Operations Protocol, and some Security Logs. Nothing really interesting until I read the Security Logs.

From what I read I could tell that they weren't supplied with enough supplies to last much more than a year underground. Eventually some realized they were going to run out of food and that there was never going to be an all clear from Vault-Tec. A riot soon broke out between the Overseer/science department and the security/staff.

Moving on to the next area I opened the door and across the room was the biggest cockroach I had ever seen. It had to be the size of a small dog! As it slowly crawled around on the wall I stood still as a statue in the doorway. On a table nearby I found a security baton and just in time as almost immediately after I picked up the weapon it lunged for me. Instinct and training kicked in as I proceeded to beat the ever loving shit out the bug until it stopped twitching. Looking around there didn't seem to be any more but I kept my guard up and my weapon ready just in case.

In the nearby kitchen and cafeteria I found a terminal with a copy of game Red Menace. 'Score!' I thought to myself as I ejected the holotape. I enjoyed the little holotape games and how they distracted me from reality. It was nice to forget it all sometimes.

My stomach rumbled and I noticed that my throat was dry. I searched the rest of the room and what appeared to be barracks for any food or water. Ever since waking up I had been starving and I felt like I could drink a lake. I couldn't find any food but there was a sink that still poured out clear water.

Making my way through the generator room I was confronted by more huge roaches. After fighting them off I went to exit the room when I saw the first skeleton on the floor. It was wearing a Vault 111 jumpsuit and there appeared to be bullet marks on the floor next to it. I wondering if they had been killed during the riot or by the man who killed Jason. 'What happened here? Is this all that's left?'

I soon found myself in the Overseer's office. On his desk I found a 10mm with ammo and some stimpacks. 'Thank God, now I at least have some firepower.' On the floor behind the desk was the skeleton of the Overseer. 'Is anyone alive? Did anybody make it out?' I asked myself as I looked around the room. I still hadn't found any trace of my son or the people who took him but I wasn't ready to give up yet.

In the back of the room was the Overseer's quarters. Inside I found a working bathroom. After taking care of business I looked into the mirror above the sink. My reflection looked back at me. My vibrant red hair stood out the most, then my green eyes. My face was a little scarred on the left side a vertibird crash while in the Marines but its not to bad. I like to think it adds a certain edge to my appearance. It amazes me that I don't look any different than I did the morning that the bombs fell. It just seems like so much has changed that I'm happy that at least something is the way I remember it.

Going back out into the office I noticed a case on the wall inside a security cage nearby. Inside I found an odd looking weapon that I learned was called the Cryolator from a terminal on the Overseer's desk. I was able to pick the lock on the case and I grabbed it. Who knows, it could definitely be useful later. I went back over to the terminal on the desk and opened the evacuation tunnel.

Inside the tunnel I was assaulted immediately by at least a dozen more of those giant roaches but this time I was well armed. Using the Cryolator I was able to freeze them all in mere seconds. It was actually kind of fun and I was a little disappointed when they were all finished. Oh well, I was sure there would be plenty more where they came form.

Soon enough I found myself at the vault entrance. On the floor were more skeletons and even some roaches picking away at whatever was left on the bones. I pulled out my 10mm and opened fire on them when a roach as big as I was tall crawled out from under the floor. "Oh my god that's a big bug." Was all I could say as it barreled toward me. I don't remember aiming or emptying the clip. When it was over all I could think about was how big it had been and the panic that had set into my very core when it popped like a daisy from beneath me.

I had still not found any clue as to where the kidnappers and my son could have gone. It is now obvious that they are no longer here in the vault. Using a Pip-Boy I found on a skeleton I opened the vault seal and made my way out of the vault that had been my tomb for who knows how long. I was both eager and terrified to see the surface again. On one hand it would mean fresh air on the other who knows what I would find up there.

As the platform lowered and the gate swung open I boarded the elevator that would take me back up to the world I had left behind. Looking up questions buzzed through my mind. The intercom buzzed to life again before I ascended the tunnel. _"Enjoy your return_ _to the surface. And thank you for choosing Vault-Tec."_


	2. Sanctuary

As the lift reached the top of the shaft I had to shield my eyes from the glare from the sun overhead. The first thing that I could make out after my vision cleared was the ruins of several houses at the base of the moderate hill I found myself upon. My old home, Sanctuary. I could barely recognize it now, not that there was much left to recognize.

Looking around I took in the sight of several dead trees with their gnarled limbs reaching out at odd angels, giving many of them the appearance of claws. There were a few strange looking black birds flying through the withered limbs but they barely made any sound. The once green landscape had been reduced to shades of sickly yellows and browns. Even the very earth was cracked in places.

There were skeletons littered all over the place, they looked like civilians who had tried to force their way in after the bombs fell. Overturned cars and equipment littered the area around the Vault opening and I noticed some crates nearby that looked undamaged. Opening them up I was shocked to see that I had gotten my hands on a military shipment of some sort, judging from the US Army logo on the sides of the boxes.

Looking around I found a piece of steel and was able to pry the lids open. All together I had found five containers that were still in one piece. Inside one I found a few Stimpaks and a small supply of RadAway. In another I found some Army uniforms and a full set of combat armor. Thankfully one of them that I opened had a handful of MRE's and a couple bottles of purified water. The next one had miscellaneous ammo, but the last one was a score. Inside were a few military issue N99 10mm pistols*, my personal favorite sidearm.

After the phase out of the N80 in 2051, the N99 sidearm became standard issue military gear. The N99 is known for its ability to survive in the harshest of conditions. Vault-Tec had even issued them to several of their Vault security forces. Having one with me now helped calm my nerves as if I had been reunited with an old friend. I had been deployed several times with this model of sidearm and it had never let me down.

Following the path away from the Vault I wound my way down the side of the hill towards Sanctuary until I came to the gate that had held out several of our neighbors that day. Stopping for a moment I could still almost make out the panicked cries and the horrified screams. Their pleas for salvation falling upon the hardened hearts of Vault-Tec security forces and US soldiers barring there way. The bombs were coming and many outside the gate had begun to realize that they would not be saved because their names weren't on a little piece of paper.

Looking down at the remains of some of those who had died here that day I thought I could see glares of accusation and contempt staring back up at me from the dark, empty eye sockets. Tears came to my eyes as I found myself starting to shake slightly. I quickly collected my wits and moved on with one last look back at the gate before continuing on towards my destination.

Soon enough I made it into streets that I used know so well. Everywhere I looked the buildings were in ruins. Some still looked salvageable but most were completely leveled. Fallen trees had crushed anything unlucky enough to be under them at the time. Destroyed cars littered the streets and debris was piled up all over the place. Turning up the street I headed towards what had once been my home.

As I neared the house I was relieved to see that it was still standing. I took in the faded blue paint and the rust spots that marked the walls and roof. Once I got to to the front door I was shaking, half hoping that I once I opened the red door I'd find my husband Jason and our son Damien. I knew it was childish of me but I couldn't help it. Nor could I help the sting I felt when I pushed the door open and the room was empty.

For a moment I stood their taking in the reality of the situation I had found myself in. I sat myself down on a nearby couch and contemplated my next move. As I was sitting there I almost didn't hear the sound of something approaching. I turned around to look down the hall where the sound was coming from when I received a very welcome surprise as a figure entered the room.

"Mum! As I live and breathe. It's... it's REALLY you!" The shape exclaimed as it came into the light cascading through the broken ceiling. There hovering in front of me was my old robot butler, a Mister Handy that my parents had gotten us for my baby shower. His once gleaming chrome finish had worn down and began to rust but all in all he looked the same as I remembered.

"Codsworth! You're... you're still here. So... other people could still be alive, too." I said as I stood up and turned to face him.

"Well, of course I'm still here. Surely you don't think a little radiation could deter the pride of General Atomics International?" The robot replied as if the very idea that he would't be here was preposterous. He then focused all three of his optical sensors on me, looking at me up and down. "But you seem the worse for wear. Best not let the hubby see you in that state. Where is sir, by the way?"

His question seemed to salt the wound and it brought back all of the negative emotions I had pushed aside to deal with later. I felt the tears begin to sting my eyes once again as I tried to formulate a response. "They... they came into the Vault. M-maybe you saw them? They had guns and strange outfits?"

Codsworth seemed to stop for a moment, as he was trying to recall seeing anything. "Hmm, only Ms. Rosa's boy, running around in his Halloween costume, more than a week early. I swear, the nerve of the woman leaving her brat unsupervised." Was his answer. Dashing my sudden hope that he may have clues as to who the were or where they went. As far as I knew, the only way to the Vault was through Sanctuary. "Not like you, mum. You're the perfect mother. And sir is... oh, where is sir, by the by?"

His comment about being the perfect mother had the hole in my chest flare up. If anything I felt like I had failed my son, not something a 'perfect' mother would do in my mind. Then I focused on the question. "They... they k-killed him-m." I sobbed as I remember the scene vividly.

"Mum... these things you're saying. These... these terrible things... I...I believe you need a distraction." Codsworth declared, as if what I was saying couldn't be true. "Yes! A distraction to calm this dire mood. It's been ages since we've had a proper family activity. Checkers or perhaps charades. Oh, Damien does so love that game. Is the lad... with you?" The robot asked as he looked behind me and around the room.

Still sobbing and and now slightly frustrated with him I don't know if my next response was to him or myself. "I-It just d-doesn't make s-sense. Th-there's just n-no... no reason someone would t-take my b-baby..." I put my face in my hands and tried to get a hold of myself.

"It's worse than I thought. Hmm hmm. You're suffering from... hunger induced paranoia." He stated very candidly. "Not eating properly for 200 years will do that, I'm afraid."

Hearing that last part was enough of a shock that I was able to break through the ice that had started to form around my mind. "200 years? What? Are you...?" I asked incredulously. After all, there was no way it had really been 200 year, right?

"Well a bit over 210 actually, mum. Give or take a little for the Earth's rotation and some minor dings to the ole' chronometer." He replied as if the span of time was inconsequential. He barely paused before he continued. "That means you're two centuries late for dinner! Ha ha ha. Perhaps I can whip you up a snack? You must be famished."

As soon as I heard the words come out of his vocal processors I was reminded of how hungry I was. I hadn't opened any of the M.R.E.s yet and now that I thought about i, I was starving. "What? Food? Yeah, sure. I... I need a minute to think..." Was my response, as I was finding it hard to focus.

"Then I'll be right back!" Codsworth stated happily before he turned towards the kitchen area and started rooting around for something for me to eat. Soon he came back carrying a box of SugarBombs, one of my favorite cereals. "Here you go, mum. Now, I've been thinking. If something is amiss... you're loved ones may simply be hiding. From... the Red Menace." He said conspiratorially as he handed me the food.

"Codsworth, I don't think the Reds are gonna be a problem anymore." If what I saw outside was anything to go by I figured everyone that was left would be to busy rebuilding for awhile to be concerned with the old grudges. Maybe I was wrong, maybe they were still a threat in some way, but for now I had other worries. I had to find out what was left of the world. I had to find my son. I had to avenge my husband's murder. I didn't have time to worry about things that were probably long gone.

Codsworth suddenly perked up as his voice spoke up. "I have an idea. Let's search the neighborhood together. After all, Sir and young Damien. They're... they're my family too." He said shaking slightly.

"Codsworth, are you sure you're holding up okay?" I asked him, noticing the small shakes and how he seemed to have trouble staying still.

He suddenly froze up and for a moment I thought something was wrong. Then his optics focused back on me as he replied. "I... I... Oh mum, it's been just horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, no one to serve. I spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing removes nuclear fallout from vinyl wood. Nothing!" The robot said as he waved his servos around wildly. "And don't get me started on the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car! The car! How do you polish rust?!"

I watched him carefully before I continued. While I knew he would never intentionally hurt me that didn't mean accidents couldn't happen. "It's OK, pal. Just tell me, what do you know, Codsworth?" I asked as I put my hands up in a placating manner before reaching out and resting my right hand on his nearest optic sensor.

It seemed to work as he visibly calmed down thought about my question. "I'm afraid I don't know anything, mum. The bombs came and you all left in such a hurry. I thought for certain that you and your family were... were... dead." He said as he brought up one of his servos to give me something. "I did find this holotape. I believe sir was going to present it to you. As a surprise. But then, well... everything happened."

Looking down at the tape in front of me I was thankful to have something from Jason to keep with me. "Thank you, Codsworth." I stated calmly as I took the gift from his grip.

"Y-you're welcome. Now enough feeling sorry for myself. Shall we search the neighborhood together? Sir and young Damien may turn up yet." Codsworth claimed hopefully as he went and hovered near the front door.

"Have you seen anything dangerous?" I asked as I approached the door, thinking back on the giant roaches I had encountered in the Vault. I did not want to run into anything I wasn't prepared for.

"Oh, just the usual, mum. Pesky neighborhood dogs and mosquitoes. Shall I investigate?" He declared once I had made my way over to him. He seemed eager to go and was bouncing slightly.

"All right. Lead the way." I said as I checked my gun to make sure it was loaded. I figured that if anything, we may find clues to finding my son while we were at it.

"Proud to serve, mum!" Codsworth declared adamantly as he went ahead of me out the door and waited for me just outside. I followed him out and shut the door behind me. Turning around I gave him a nod and we set off around the neighborhood. As we walked down the streets I was looked around for any signs of movement.

"What's all this then?" Codsworth suddenly spoke up before darting towards one of the houses nearby that wasn't completely wrecked. As he zipped inside I thought I could hear a buzzing sound. As I entered behind him with my gun at the ready I noticed a swarm of large flies. As I took aim I noticed Codsworth fighting them off with his buzz saw and a flamethrower. "Not this time!" He cried as he sawed one in half as it tried to fly around him and come at me.

When the flies were all dealt with, we searched the house quickly. We didn't find anything that would help me find Damien so we went back outside. "Don't worry. My search protocols are on full alert. Nothing here but a few flies. Wait... my sensors are picking up movement in another house. Follow me!" Codsworth said as he started moving again. This time he was moving a little faster as we raced across the street.

"Mum, somethings afoot." He said as we approached the last house. Once again I could hear that buzzing sound, so I figured that there must be more flies inside. Sure enough, as we got closer the buzzing grew louder. As we entered the house we were faced with swarm a little bigger than the first.

"Found you!" Codsworth cried as he rushed them with his saw out. I took aim and shot at the nearest two. Between my shooting and his saw and flamethrower we had the house cleared in no time. After taking down the last pest Codsworth turned towards me and came over with his optical sensors drooping and his servos sagging. "Miss Daphne. Your... your family isn't here either. They're... they're really gone, aren't they?"

I walked closer to him and brought his metallic chassis into an embrace. After consoling each other for a moment I held him out at arms length as I looked him in the eye. "Damien is out there somewhere, Codsworth. I need to find him."

Taking a moment to compose himself perked up a little before he spoke up. "What about Concord, mum? Plenty of people there and last I checked, they only shot at me a few times before I had to run back home."

"There's still people alive in Concord?" I asked as we left the house and headed back towards home. The sun was just beginning to sink beneath the horizon and the stars were starting to come out. A sense of calm creeping over me as I looked up at the sky before returning my gaze to my butler.

"Yes, although they're a bit rough. You remember the way? Just across the old footbridge out of the neighborhood and past the Red Rocket station." He reminded me as we arrived back home. We entered the house and I shut the door behind me. Going back into the kitchen Codsworth turned around to address me. "I shall remain here and secure the home front!" He said before turning around and tidying up the place a little more, not that it did much help with all the debris.

Looking out the large window in the main room I saw the sky darkening outside. Turning around I went down the hall until I came too two rooms at the end. In the one on the right was my son's room and on the left was our bedroom. Entering Damien's room I walked over to the crib in the center of the room. "I'm coming sweetheart," I said as I fiddled with the rocket mobile on top. "Mamma's coming, baby." A small smile crept up on me as I remembered his smiling face looking up at the rockets with glee.

I left my sons room and crossed the hall into Jason and I's old room. The place was a mess the the bed was destroyed. 'I guess I'm sleeping on the couch.' I thought to myself as I turned around and went back out to the main room and got comfortable on the couch. The last thought that I can remember going through my mind was that tomorrow would be full of work searching the town for anything usable. Then I'd fix up my home a bit before heading for Concord. As my eyes drifted shut I felt Codsworth placing a blanket over me and I knew no more.

*The N99 10mm pistol was the 10mm pistol used in Fallout 3.


	3. Red Rocket

The next morning I woke up at the crack of dawn, already falling back into my military training. Not to mention the sunlight filtering through the ceiling and into my eyes made it hard to sleep. As I sat up my back was a little sore, kinked from sleeping on the couch. Looking around it took me a moment to remember where I was. When I did I tried to hold myself together as the events of the past few days flashed across my drowsy mind. I was still groggy as I stood up and stretched my arms over my head, my back popping a couple of times.

After waking up we spent all morning getting rid of the broken furniture throughout the house. I had Codsworth get rid of all the small debris with a broom while I figured out what could stay and what had to go. It was hard work but with Codsworth's help, I began to get everything rearranged. It didn't take too long and there were no interruptions so I was able to sort out my thoughts as I worked.

After finishing that I went into my bedroom and knelt in the back of the closet. Inside were our old green military footlockers. Inside of Jason's footlocker, I found his old Army helmet and fatigues, an American flag, a 10mm pistol, some ammo, and his old dog tags. Picking up his tags I read them quietly before putting them around my neck. Inside my own, I found my old combat armor, fatigues, dog tags, and another American flag. I added my tags around my neck before standing back up.

I quickly peeled off the skin tight Vault suit that I had been provided upon entering the vault. As tight as it was I honestly believed it was at least one size too small for me. Looking at it with a feeling of contempt, blaming Vault-Tec for everything that happened down there, I then tossed it onto one of the nearby dressers before walking into the bathroom and grabbing a rag. Looking around I found some soap and turned on the sink. I then soaked the rag and lathered it in soap before washing myself off as best as I could.

Washing my front was no problem but my back was another thing. I was in the middle of struggling with my impromptu bath when Codsworth hovered into the bathroom and noticed me stretched around in an awkward position trying to wash down my back. "Oh Mum, let me help you with that!" He said before puttering over and taking the cloth from my hand. I found nothing wrong with his request, he had helped me do this task many times in the past before the nukes had dropped. It was one of the many special features we had gotten programmed into him.

The dampness of the cloth and the firm pressure he applied across my skin was a wonderful feeling after spending the day lifting furniture and moving debris. Not to mention the breeze blowing through the house also helped cool me off in this wasteland's heat. It was a dry heat and there didn't seem to be any relief from this any time soon as there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Thank you Codsworth, that felt amazing," I told him as he finished up. It had taken longer then I was used to but he had seemed a little slow and jerky with his movements now and then. 'He probably just needs some oil,' I thought to myself.

"Anytime, mum!" He said before going back out towards the kitchen.

I went back into my bedroom and donned my old military uniform and gear which consisted of some sturdy arm guards, heavy combat vest and leg guards, and a helmet with a surprisingly still working headlamp. I also grabbed the bug out bag that I had been able to put together and swung it onto my back. Holstering the N99 I turned around looked under the rug too find a floor safe underneath.

Inside was my latest project before the apocalypse, a new kind of rifle the could be modified to fire almost any type of standardized ammunition. It sort of looked like a more streamlined Chinese rifle crossed with a Service rifle* It could also be reconfigured to fulfill many different roles such as SMG, LMG even sniper. I called it the Avenger-Class rifle, or the Avenger rifle for short. I grabbed the only finished prototype I had and headed into the main room.

Turning to Codsworth I addressed him before heading out. "Codsworth, stay safe. I will be back as soon as I can."

"You as well, mum." He responded before turning back to his work. 'Some things never change,' I thought to myself as I turned for the door.

Now that I felt prepared and I was properly armed, I left the house and made my way south. As I approached the bridge across the river another large roach popped out of a window and flew towards me. Acting quickly I brought my gun up and fire three shots in quick succession. As the last shot rang out the bug dropped to the ground and twitched twice before going still.

I looked up towards the house it had come from and made my way closer. With my weapon at the ready, I cleared the house but found no other threats. I did, however, find a floor safe under a dresser in the bedroom. Inside was some cash, a little ammo and other than some random junk that was it.

Heading back outside I crossed over the bridge and found a grisly sight. There in the middle of the road were the bodies of a man and some kind of deformed dog. The man was covered in gashes and bites while the dog had a tire iron sticking out of its chest. Checking my surroundings to make sure there weren't more strange dogs nearby I moved over to the man's corpse and searched him for anything helpful.

Other than a Stimpak and some food he didn't have anything on him so I continued down the road towards the Red-Rocket station that I could see in the distance. As I came into view of the familiar red fuel station I noticed a dog sniffing around the front door. When he noticed me he approached slowly and I sensed no threat coming from him so I let him come up to me.

"Hey boy, what are you doing out here all by yourself?" I asked as I reached down and pet his head. He was a beautiful German Shepard. "You wanna come with me, pal?" He whimpered and nuzzled my hand affectionately. "Okay, then. Let's stick together."

I looked back up at the station and moved inside. There were plenty of tools laying around but other than that there wasn't much else. On a terminal inside, I did, however, find mention of a cave on the premises. On the desk beside the terminal was a lunch box, inside of which I was pleased to find a Nuka-Cola and some cram. Heading back outside I looked around back before stopping.

"We should check that cave out, there might be supplies I could use in there," I said looking down at the dog beside me. His head cocked to the side and he barked once. Taking that to mean okay, I started down the hill to the rear of the station. Sure enough, I soon discovered the mentioned small cave nestled nicely out of sight.

There were glowing green mushrooms and some kind of fungus growing on the walls of the cave that somewhat resembled a human brain. A little grossed out by the wall brains I avoided any contact with the slimy growths. As I went inside I heard scuffling sounds from deeper within. Curiously but still careful of my surroundings I drew my rifle before I made my way further into the hole in the earth.

Upon reaching a large open space I found what was making all the sounds. Giant, pink, mutated rodents. Once one of them noticed me they all started screeching and bounded towards me. Aiming quickly I fired at as many of them as I could before I had to reload. I fell back as I reloaded and the German Shepard bounded past and tackled the rat in the front of the pack before ripping into its throat.

As I slammed a fresh magazine into the bottom of the gun and racked the slide back I bounded forward and fired another volley at the loud horde in front of me. I was a little too gung-ho though as I didn't notice the root sticking up out of the ground before it gripped my ankle and threw me to the ground. My rifle slipped from my grasp and clattered out of sight.

Panicking briefly I reached for my 10mm at my hip as a particularly quick rodent jumped for my fallen form. I had just enough time to aim and shoot three times before the pink mass collided with me, knocking me back down to the ground under its weight. Thankfully my rounds must have found their target as I didn't feel any pain other than a few rocks digging into me.

Shoving the body of the big rat off to the side I surveyed my surroundings and watched as the dog finished off the last of them. I looked around the cave a bit but was disappointed when my search turned off very little in the way of usable salvage of any kind. With a sigh, I turned and made my way back outside. Looking into the distance I saw the sun going down.

"Well no reason to risk traveling by night until I'm more familiar with my surroundings," I said as I looked down at my new companion. "Let's camp at the Red Rocket tonight boy." With this said we made our way back up to the station. Upon entering the back room I pulled out my bedroll from my bag and placed it on the floor. As I laid down on the mat the dog came into the room and sat beside me. With a lick at my face, he curled up at my knees and went motionless.

"Good night boy," I said before shutting my eyes and falling into a dreamless slumber.

Note:

*The Service rifle in Fallout resembles an M16 and a Chinese rifle looked a lot like an AK-47.


End file.
